Tuesday

Sara Prideaux was a vibrant 16-year-old at Shawnee Mission South in Overland Park — in the top of her class with an infectious smile.

But this past July, Prideaux was dead. She had killed herself.

Prideaux was just one in a line of children named Tuesday — just one of a number of children whose lives were cut short by suicide.

Their parents and relatives tearfully pleaded with lawmakers to require suicide awareness and prevention training for teachers. They shared stories of loss and urged consideration of legislation they believe will reduce the number of children who take their own lives.

Senate Bill 323 would mandate two hours of youth suicide training for teachers to maintain or renew their licenses. Supporters said the training could save lives and help those who spend a lot of time with children spot the signs that point toward an impending suicide. There were no opponents at a hearing.

"Sara showed many signs that she was struggling, yet no one saw them because no one was trained to know the signs," said Prideaux’s mother, Allison Doss.

"Suicide prevention needs to be in the schools for the teacher and the parents. We have to be able to give our children the tools to succeed, which also means we need to give the teachers the tools to succeed and helping our children with not just their education needs but their emotional needs as well."

Prideaux’s grandmother, Helen Rentz, told the Senate Education Committee her search for answers in the wake of her granddaughter’s death has led to her to believe teachers and counselors haven’t been trained to help struggling teens or look for signs of impending suicide.

As Rentz spoke, Doss sat nearby, crying.

"In my case, I lose a granddaughter and, basically, my daughter, because everyday she wakes up is another day she would rather not be here because her only child is gone," Rentz said.

Joe Karlin, a Lenexa city councilman, said his son, Tom, killed himself in November 2011. Tom was well-liked, good-looking and responsible. He had everything in the world going for him, Karlin said.

While bills that come before the Legislature are important, in this case it is literally a matter of life or death, Karlin said. It isn’t a perfect solution — there is no perfect solution, he indicated.

But teachers, administrators and other school employees are a critical part of a solution, Karlin said. A number of states have passed similar bills, he said.

"The training requires no state funding. The state of Kansas and its citizens will surely benefit from a reduction in suicides," Karlin said. "That benefit is not only emotional, but also physical and financial. There is nothing to be lost in supporting this bill, and much to be gained."

The Kansas State Department of Education offered neutral testimony. Scott Gordon, the agency’s general counsel, said the state board of education would consider a proposal that not only accomplishes what the bill proposes but exceeds its requirements.

Gordon asked lawmakers to allow the state board to enact the proposal through regulation rather than legislate the requirement. He said the board would take up the proposal in February.

Under the proposal to come before the board, all school employees would receive training, not just those who are professionally licensed. The board also would require building crisis plans to prepare staff for signs of and reactions to suicide.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, indicated the Legislature could potentially adopt the agency’s proposed language, essentially codifying in law what the board is expected to do in regulation. He asked legislative staff to draft an amendment that would accomplish that.

Although lawmakers and educators may debate who should implement the training requirements, the pain remains for the parents who have lost children — though perhaps with hope that some parents can be spared from experiencing the same hurt.

"I believe Satan can tear a person apart and create darkness over a life that drowns out all the good, but in these darkest of times God is there to pick us up and make our tragic events our testimonies," said Betty Brennan, whose son, Kyler Wayne Jones, killed himself in 2014 at age 15. "This is where my passion comes from and where my new start begins."

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